San Marcos library branch to close for remodeling

SAN MARCOS —— The San Marcos branch of the San Diego County
Library will enter a new chapter in its development this month when
it is remodeled for the first time since its opening in 1994 on
Civic Center Drive.

The 15,000-square-foot library will be closed from April 21 to
May 1 for renovations, and library officials said the $82,000
project is designed to make it more open and customer-friendly.

"It's very exciting and will make the library more inviting to
customers," said librarian Ann Terrell. "The whole front area will
look entirely different."

When customers walk through the front door on May 2, Terrell
said, the wooden structure in front of the circulation desk will be
gone and there will be a new circulation counter. The two 6-foot
kiosks looming between the counter and the main reference desk will
also be gone, helping to create a better path between the two
information centers.

"We are trying to take down the barriers between the staff and
the customers," Terrell said. "Hopefully, it will mean even better
service for the customers."

She said the main reference desk and the children's reference
desk will also be replaced with new furniture, and the new stations
should provide more shelves and storage space to help the
staff.

The computer workstations near the reference desk will also be
arranged on two large tables, and Terrell said she expects the
library will be able to increase the number of workstations.

The librarian said she didn't know exactly what the new
furniture will look like, but said all of the wooden furniture is
being made by the county library's carpenter.

"We are happy to know quality work is coming our way," Terrell
said.

The San Diego County Library has 32 branches which serve 400,000
square miles, and the county tries to remodel about two branches
every year, said Natalie Rencher, deputy library director.

Rencher said that the county, which has more than 685,000
card-carrying members, has had the San Marcos branch on its
remodeling list for the last couple of years, and it finally came
time to make the improvements.

The San Marcos branch has 41,833 library cardholders, and has
about 77,000 books, videos and CDs, Terrell said.

"We have increased our collection tremendously, and we are
eyeing new material all the time," Terrell said.

According to the most recent data available, San Marcos is the
sixth-busiest county branch, with about 295,371 items being checked
out each year. Terrell said the branch has seen activity triple
since its opening.

With the branch temporarily closing for remodeling, the Vista
branch at 700 Eucalyptus Ave. is the closest county facility for
customers, and Terrell said some customers would probably go to the
Escondido and Carlsbad city libraries.

But while the library is closed, Terrell said residents still
need to return books by their due date. The book drop will be open
every day, and Terrell said residents should call any of the
branches if they don't know when their books or videos are due.

Many of the customers at the library Friday morning said the
temporary closure was not a big deal and that the new furniture
would be a nice luxury.

"I think it's wonderful, and it's about time the county put some
money into the local libraries," said Escondido resident Lori
Whittemore, adding that she comes to the library because of the
friendly staff. "It will be closed such a short time that it's not
that big of an inconvenience, and it's well worth it."